St. Kitts and Nevis are together officially known as ‘The Federation of St Christopher and Nevis’, and are a twin-island country located in the Caribbean Sea. The mild tropical climate of St. Kitts and Nevis, turquoise seas, and sugar-soft shores make the two islands a popular tourist destination and a real earthly paradise. The countries are also one of the eco-friendliest countries on earth, with Nevis expected to be run entirely by geothermal energy in a matter of years. St. Kitts and Nevis gained independence from the British rule in 1983. However, they still have friendly ties, with St. Kitts and Nevis being a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. St. Kitts and Nevis is also a member of the United Nations, the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). St. Kitts and Nevis is a blend of relaxation and dynamic business. Although famous for many resorts and golf courses, it also contributes to one of the planet’s most business-friendly environments for people hoping to set up businesses and seek other commercial activities. The St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship price or St. Kitts & Nevis passport cost can be considered worth it by virtue of all the benefits a second citizenship from the country provides.
Citizenship By Investment
The St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship cost is based on the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Programme, which was established in 1984 and is the world’s oldest economic citizenship programme. The Citizenship by Investment Unit runs it, and with 30 years of managerial experience and a commitment to transparency, it serves as a positive example to all other nations with similar programmes. Under the Programme, entrepreneurs and their families are entitled to fund this peaceful country in exchange for full citizenship. Successful candidates will be able to travel visa free to around 102 countries across the globe, including the United Kingdom, European Union, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Brazil, and with visa on arrival to 35 other countries.
General Requirements
Apart from the being able to pay the applicable St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship cost, a candidate for the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Programme must:
- Be at least 18 years old or above
- Be of good reputation
- Have no illegal or criminal record
- Pass a detailed background check known as the due diligence test
- Be able to provide evidence of the legal source of funds
- Be healthy and not have any contagious disease like HIV, TB, etc.
- Applicants may apply with their spouse, dependent children, and dependent old parents or grandparents.
Benefits Of Acquiring St. Kitts And Nevis Citizenship
St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship price provides applicants with myriad benefits, including the following:
- There is no obligation to visit St. Kitts and Nevis before, during, or after the application. It saves the applicant from a lot of time and money.
- The St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship price is upfront and transparent, without any hidden costs.
- The applicant does not have to go through any series of interviews.
- Although the official language of St. Kitts and Nevis is English, there is no need for English language requirement to apply for the citizenship. Investors can speak any language and do not need to give any exams like IELTS, etc.
- The St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship price is lower compared to the other citizenship programmes in the market.
- The time frame for processing is speedy.
- St. Kitts and Nevis allows dual citizenship. However, the investor may have to check the rules and regulations of their native country before applying.
- The citizenship programme provides immense social and political security.
- Those with a passport of St. Kitts and Nevis enjoy visa-free/visa on arrival travel to more than 150 countries.
- The applicant does not need to make tax payment on foreign earnings, capital gains, gift, and inheritance tax.
- The programme offers excellent asset protection services and business environment
- The citizenship plan provides an Accelerated Application Process (AAP) option, which is one of its kind, to speed up the process of gaining a St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship.
The Accelerated Application Process, a unique feature of the citizenship programme, guarantees citizenship (including passport) in under 60 Days. The programme facilitates expanded mobility, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival to over 150 countries and territories. The individual gains citizenship of a country with a low tax regime including no income, inheritance, or gift tax. The second citizenship lasts a lifetime and can be passed on to future generations as well, securing everyone’s future. There are no interviews, language or residency requirements necessary to gain citizenship or to invest in the SGF.
Investment Options
An applicant and his/her family may obtain citizenship of St. Kitts and Nevis by picking one of three alternatives along with St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship costs.
- Contribution to the Sustainable Growth Fund (SGF)
The Sustainable Growth Fund started in April 2018. A direct donation to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, the fund concentrates on development in the areas of education, health, infrastructure, to mitigate the effects of climate change, support economic growth, and promote, preserve, protect, and develop the culture and heritage of the nation. The SGF is a discrete channel of investment, ensuring privacy. The streamlined and efficient process to citizenship, with the strongest due diligence procedures in the world, protects the investor’s investment.
Contribution to the Sustainable Growth Fund (SGF) Costs:
| Type of Applicant | Cost |
| Principal Applicant | $150,000 |
| Principal Applicant with Spouse | $175,000 |
| Family of 4 | $195,000 |
| Additional Dependants (per dependant other than the spouse) | $10,000 |
| Due diligence cost for the primary applicant | $7,500 |
| Due diligence cost for any family member
aged 16 years or over |
$4000 |
| Accelerated Application Process for the Principal applicant | $25,000 |
| Accelerated Application Process for dependants aged 16 or under. | $500 |
Note: This donation is non-refundable and final. Agent service cost, cost of application booklets, documents of citizenship and passports, messenger delivery, and other expenses will be added to the above fees.
- The Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF)
The SIDF choice is the most common alternative to meet the St. Kitts & Nevis passport cost and citizenship by investment cost. It was established in 2006. The SIDF is a government charity that supports the government with the task of expanding St. Kitts and Nevis’ economy. The minimum contribution required under the SIDF option is $250,000.
Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF) Costs:
| Type of Applicant | Cost |
| Principal Applicant | $250,000 |
| Principal Applicant with a family with three dependents (Principal applicant + spouse and two minor children) | $300,000 |
| Principal Applicant with a family with five dependents (Principal applicant + spouse + 4 minor children) | $350,000 |
| Principal Applicant with a family with seven dependents | $400,000 |
| For every additional dependent (if more than 7) | $50,000 |
| For the unmarried dependent child of the applicant between the ages of 18 and 25, and dependents over 65 | $50,000 |
| Due diligence costs for the primary applicant | $7,500 |
| Due diligence costs for any family member aged 16 years or more | $4,000 |
| Accelerated Application Process for the Principal applicant | $25,000 |
| Accelerated Application Process for dependants aged 16 or under. | $500 |
Note: This donation is non-refundable and final. Agent service cost, cost of application booklets, documents of citizenship and passports, messenger delivery, and other expenses will be added to the above fees.
- Investment in Pre-approved Real Estate
The pre-approved real estate option requires candidates to purchase a property to meet the St. Kitts & Nevis passport cost and citizenship cost. The minimum needed investment under the pre-approved real estate option is $400,000, with a further condition to hold that estate for a minimum of five years. Alternatively, candidates can invest in a shared system, where each of the applicants pays a minimum of $200,000. In this case, real estate must be held for seven years to maintain to meet the economic citizenship application requirements. Additional government costs apply to both real estate options.
Investment in Pre-approved Real Estate Costs
| Type of Applicant | Cost |
| Principal Applicant | $400,000 |
| A family of 4 (Principal applicant, spouse, and two kids, one of age and one underage) | $7,500 |
| The government fee for the principal applicant | $35,000 |
| The government fee for the spouse | $20,000 |
| The government fee for the dependents under the age of 18 years | $10,000 |
| The government fee for the dependents over the age of 18 years | $10,000 |
| The government fee for the family of 4 (Principal applicant, spouse, and two kids, one of age and one underage) | $75,000 |
| Due diligence cost for the primary applicant | $7,500 |
| Due diligence costs for any family member aged 16 years or over | $4,000 |
| Mandatory insurance fund contribution and conveyance fees for buying real estate | 4-5 percent of the purchase price. |
Purchasers of real property will incur additional expenses associated with their real estate closing, including stamp taxes, land tax, and property insurance. Service and legal fees of the government-approved intermediary also apply. In addition to these costs, real estate buyers should know of purchase costs, mandatory insurance fund contributions, and conveyance fees. The alternative of government fund donation is the cheaper one when comparing the St. Kitts & Nevis passport cost for both routes, but the real estate option gives the chance of selling and getting part of your money back after five years, thus guaranteeing that the funds would return to the investor.
House Price Variations
The cost of real estate varies depending on the locality selected. Here is a table of an estimate of the pricing of a few areas. Please note that this is just an estimated range of price and the final price it would depend upon a lot of other factors.
| Region | Price Range |
| Residential properties in the Marriot Residences St. Kitts | Prices range from $400,000 to $2.09 million |
| Ocean’s Edge | Prices range from $405,500 to $2.6 million |
| Silver Reef | Prices range from $400,000 to $530,000 |
| Christophe Harbour | Prices range from $450,000 and can go up to $6.8 million |
| Sunset Ridge | Prices range from $715,000 to $795,000 |
| Nelson Springs Beach Villas & Spas | Prices range from $400,000 to $650,000 |
| Fern Hill Estates | Prices range from $615,000 to $1.2 million |
| Seaside at Cliffdwellers | Prices range around $400,000 |
Transactional Charges
Transactional charges are expenses acquired when buying or selling a good or service or real estate. In a business sense, transaction costs include brokers’ fees and spreads, which are the differences between the price the dealer paid for a security and the price the buyer pays. The St. Kitts & Nevis passport cost also has transactional costs. Here is a rough estimate of the transactional costs in St. Kitts and Nevis.
| Alien Landholding License | 10.00 percent |
| Legal Fees | 1.00 percent – 2.50 percent |
| Land Assurance Fund | 0.20 percent |
| Stamp Duty | 5.00 percent – 18.50 percent |
| Real Estate Agent’s Commission | 6.00 percent |
| Costs given by the buyer | 11.20 percent to 12.70 percent |
| Costs given by the seller | 11.00 percent to 24.50 percent |
| Round-trip transaction fee | 22.50 percent to 37.20 percent |
The round-trip transaction fees comprise all fees of buying and then re-selling a property which includes agents fee, taxes, notary fee, registration fee, lawyer fees, etc.
Currency
St. Kitts and Nevis uses the East Caribbean Dollar (XC$) as currency for which the current exchange rate to the US Dollar ($) is $1 = XC$2.70. The East Caribbean Dollar currency is also used by Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the British overseas territories of Anguilla and Montserrat. Gaining citizenship by investment Caribbean is a popular trend.
Alien Landholding License (ALL)
All outsiders must get an Alien Landholding License, so they can buy landed property as declared in the Alien Land Holding Regulation Act Cap. 102 in St. Kitts & Nevis. The license price is 10 percent of the property price.
Legal Fees
As per the St. Kitts and Nevis Bar Association, legal fees are based on property price. Most attorneys charge an additional cost for the application of the Alien Landholding License, which is about $556.
| Property Value | Legal Fee |
| Up to $9,259 | 2.50 percent |
| Up to $18,519 | 2.00 percent |
| Over $18,519 | 1.00 percent |
Land Assurance Fund
Those applicants opting for the real estate purchase method of investment must also pay an amount equal to 0.5 percent of the property price for the National Land Assurance Fund. These are for title assurance, which is a legal requirement in St. Kitts and Nevis.
| Property Value | Vendor’s Tax For Residents |
| First $25,000 | Nil |
| Next $25,000 | 2.50 percent |
| Next $75,000 | 5.50 percent |
| Balance | 5.00 percent |
Stamp Duty
Stamp Duty on transfer on sale of the property is 12 percent of the property price and for homes, the stamp duty is 5 percent. The seller pays stamp duty which is around 18.5 percent in the South East Peninsula and 14 percent for homes in any Special Development Areas.
Real Estate Agent’s Commission
An agent’s fee is prone to variation, but most of them charge around 6 percent.
Approved Authorized Agents
An authorized person is a person or entity approved by the Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FRSC) of St. Kitts and Nevis, who is allowed to handle corporate or business services in St. Kitts and Nevis. Authorized persons must be appointed by the principal applicant by way of Limited Power of Attorney to act on their part about all matters regarding their Citizenship by Investment application. They are required to provide professional advice, support, and give details about the application process and help with the building and submission of an application for Citizenship by investment and its aiding documents.
The authorized person will join the Citizenship by Investment Unit and keep a point of contact to analyze all matters surrounding the application, do payments, and present and collect all critical communications. Authorized persons are needed to renew both their FSRC and CBI permissions yearly. These agents take their charges depending on the number of dependents in each application, experience, and other complications in the application. When the investor applies, he/she immediately needs to pay a 10 percent fee of the St. Kitts & Nevis passport cost to the agent selected. After this only does the agent starts the application work.
St. Kitts and Nevis provides excellent options for obtaining its citizenship. The benefits are several and the St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship cost is not as much as the other programmes in the market. A second citizenship is always useful, and if an individual has that extra money, going for dual citizenship is a wise choice. These decisions are not trivial and must go through a proper channel, especially as there are many scams going on in the market. The official government websites always have the latest details and all the information needed.
To learn more about the St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship by investment programme, the St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship price, approved agents, or to resolve any queries, kindly contact us by booking an appointment today! Our experienced and qualified team would be more than happy to guide you and provide you with the best advice.